GM6: Boston (3) @ Los Angeles (2)

[Warren2ThaG]

lol good theory. Momentum really helped the Celtics eh?

 

Momentum in the finals helps only for 2 games not 3...

[misterx]

can somebody explain this tech business to me....if Rasheed gets one in Game 7, does that mean he's suspended in Game 1 of next season or does it just not matter anymore?

Edited June 16, 2010 by X-Phylez

[Sky]

If Sheed gets a tech it carries over to next year.

 

That looked really bad for Perk, grabbed the outside of his knee which would indicate ligament damage. He can try to play, but Bynum is trying to play on a ligament tear and is having a lot of trouble, basically can't play in the second half. Looks like at best a similar fate awaits Perk, I'd be surprised if he plays, his knee buckled and that looked really bad.

[misterx]

oh ok thanks. one more question, if he gets 1 tech the next game, is he ejected?

[bigdog17k]

Rondo needed stitches, Perk has sprained ligaments. Boston got beat up!

[Sky]

X-Phylez - No, he needs two to be ejected.

 

Kendrick Perkins has sprained MCL and PCL ligaments in knee, with an MRI on Wednesday to check for tear, league sources tell Yahoo! Sports.

 

MCL and PCL would be difficult to play on, you'd have no control. Even if Perkins tries to play he won't be effective.

[Taber]

We got to hope that the bench and Artest can't have back to back games like that. If we look at what has come from them through the series it should be expected they don't show up like that after having a big game 6. I expect a tight game 7.

[magicbalala245]

Doesn't look for good Boston now. Winning a game 7 in Staples against a Laker team led by Kobe Bryant will be the tallest mountain to climb maybe in franchise history as so far they have went through Wade, James, Howard, & now Kobe stands in the way for the title. Odds seems against Boston to beat LA in LA.

Edited June 16, 2010 by magicbalala245

[Sun Tzu]

I knew the Lakers were going to win. There was no way the Lakers would have let the series end in 6 games or even in Los Angeles.

[Real Deal]

I wouldn't give too much credit to the bench, at least offensively. Now that I'm looking back at the stats, they didn't shoot that well.

 

Vujacic: 3-6, 9 PTS

Brown: 2-4, 4 PTS

Odom: 3-9, 8 PTS

Farmar: 2-6, 4 PTS

Powell: 0-2, 0 PTS

Walton: 0-2, 0 PTS

Mbenga: 0-1, 0 PTS

 

TOTAL: 10-30 (33%), 25 PTS

 

I think the biggest factor was Ron Artest and Pau Gasol actually stepping up their play, ten-fold. Gasol finally put on a show, and Artest was fighting for his life out there.

 

Just needed that ONE person to step up and help Kobe...and we got two main contributors. Then, the bench energy did factor in, of course...Vujacic, Farmar and Brown played good defense. I don't think their scoring was that big of a factor, though.

[Kobe24]

I still love what Vujacic brings to the court against the celtics. His fiestiness(word?) and shooting helps us a lot. I always cheer for him but I am biased since hes like my 3rd favorite laker lol.

 

Glad to see Gasol go back to his fundamentals and dominate the post!

[ChosenOne]

I still love what Vujacic brings to the court against the celtics. His fiestiness(word?) and shooting helps us a lot. I always cheer for him but I am biased since hes like my 3rd favorite laker lol.

 

Glad to see Gasol go back to his fundamentals and dominate the post!

 

lol same man I alos love seeing him do well, his fiestiness(it is a word now lol)makes the game that much more interesting for me.

[Sky]

When Artest steps up that opens the floor for everybody. It's when he misses or hesitates that the triangle flow sputters. Guy that needs to step up to help the spacing is Fisher, no 3's in the series. Twilight Zone that he has more layups than treys.

 

Woj (Yahoo) saying a source close to Perkins says it doesn't look good for him to play in 7. Bucher claims Perk will give it a go. I'd take Woj's word on that, but either way Perkins very likely won't and can't be effective.

 

Boston loses boards, help D, shotblocking, a body on Gasol, and adds strain on Garnett. Sheed and Baby aren't great rebounders. So I think Boston will need to game plan for Rondo to crash the glass hard. LA needs to keep Rondo and KG off the glass. Trapping worked on Pierce tonight they need to keep doing that, key is the bigs recovering. It'll be tight for 7, both clubs will bring it. Provided LA works hard to get back in transition D, blocks out and keeps the ball moving in the halfcourt I like their chances to close with Kobe and Pau in the 4th. Missing a starter is death to the legs in the second half, I think that'll be the difference.

[Real Deal]

When Artest steps up that opens the floor for everybody. It's when he misses or hesitates that the triangle flow sputters. Guy that needs to step up to help the spacing is Fisher, no 3's in the series. Twilight Zone that he has more layups than treys.

 

Woj (Yahoo) saying a source close to Perkins says it doesn't look good for him to play in 7. Bucher claims Perk will give it a go. I'd take Woj's word on that, but either way Perkins very likely won't and can't be effective.

 

Boston loses boards, help D, shotblocking, a body on Gasol, and adds strain on Garnett. Sheed and Baby aren't great rebounders. So I think Boston will need to game plan for Rondo to crash the glass hard. LA needs to keep Rondo and KG off the glass. Trapping worked on Pierce tonight they need to keep doing that, key is the bigs recovering. It'll be tight for 7, both clubs will bring it. Provided LA works hard to get back in transition D, blocks out and keeps the ball moving in the halfcourt I like their chances to close with Kobe and Pau in the 4th. Missing a starter is death to the legs in the second half, I think that'll be the difference.

If they are sending Rondo to the glass every missed shot, the Lakers need to push the tempo and look to score on breaks, especially on those long boards. By the third, everyone in green will be on tired legs besides Rajon, and basic basketball tells you to take advantage of a guy that needs to run 94 feet to catch up to streaking guards jetting down the court on the break.

 

Pushing the tempo, and ultimately setting it in our favor, runs Boston dry. Those contested shots they take turn into bad transitions back down the court, mismatches, and either a bucket or a trip to the line under our belt.

 

By the way, did anyone see Bryant's presser after the game? Dude was intimidating.

[Taber]

Real while I agree you also have to consider that the bench started taking more shots when the game didn't matter any more, it seemed that in the first 3 quarters they were hitting shots well, though I haven't looked at the stats and could be wrong. Artest is one of the big keys and I hope he goes back to being an idiot in game 7.

[YugoRocketsFan]

If they are sending Rondo to the glass every missed shot, the Lakers need to push the tempo and look to score on breaks, especially on those long boards. By the third, everyone in green will be on tired legs besides Rajon, and basic basketball tells you to take advantage of a guy that needs to run 94 feet to catch up to streaking guards jetting down the court on the break.

 

Pushing the tempo, and ultimately setting it in our favor, runs Boston dry. Those contested shots they take turn into bad transitions back down the court, mismatches, and either a bucket or a trip to the line under our belt.

 

By the way, did anyone see Bryant's presser after the game? Dude was pretty sexy

 

^.^ Lakers played well but I still see Boston doing much better in Game 7

Edited June 16, 2010 by YugoRocketsFan

[Sky]

Yes and no Real. Depends on who's doing the running and how many Celtics are back. Fisher can't run transition, worst starting 1 in the league at it, Farmar is too selfish in transition, so is Sasha, so is Shannon. Kobe is hit and miss, Artest lacks the ball skills for it. As long as Gasol or Odom is running the break fine, otherwise it's a risk.

 

Doc had them focus on getting back tonight. They usually had three commit to getting back quickly. Doc will need to find a rebounding solution. Rondo and Pierce are the most likely candidates. Sheed hasn't been a consistent rebounder for years, partially a function of his camping out high. Baby can be a good rebounder, but as a young player he needs his ego fed first, without points his engine doesn't run at full capacity.

 

Artest will likely fall back to earth some, but I think game 5 was the low point, he won't revert to that. He has more confidence at home.

 

Boston will certainly play better in 7, especially Pierce imo, but without Perkins it's a steep climb. Team that has won the glass has won the game. C's are older and two straight games with one days rest plus no Perkins will hurt their defensive energy second half.

 

WEEI reporting that Perkins couldn't bend his knee leaving Staples and it's increasingly likely he won't play.

 

Sheridan:

 

The official word on Kendrick Perkins

came from Doc Rivers, who said "it doesn't look great" for

the Celtics to have their starting center available for Game

7.

 

The unofficial word came from a well-placed Celtics mole,

someone in the know who was a heckuva lot more definitive:

"He's done."

Edited June 16, 2010 by Sky

[Dr. Feelgood]

Losing Perk hurts almost every aspect for the Celts. You lose the toughest guy on the court, rebounding, getting a hand on the ball to tip to a teammate on long rebounds, help defense. If Perk doesn't play (which it's sounding like he wont) then Baby and Sheed must step up if they Cs stand a chance.

 

This just looks better for the Lakers. I gotta say, Ron Artest. The dude stepped up big. He just patiently waited on the baseline for a drive and dish from Kobe and he shot the ball with confidence, not hesitating at all. He missed his first shot but after that, he knew exactly where to be at the right time. Plus, he played great defense as well.

 

I've got a double or nothing bet and this looks great for me right now. No chance the Lakers lose at home on Thursday.

[Lemon]

Without Perkins, Boston is going to and will have to step it up on offense. And I think they probably will because Perkins is pretty much an offensive liability. With Perkins gone, Sheed will most likely start. This is mostly step down defensively for Celtics but it's still a good matchup for Gasol. Perkins is a great rebounder and help defender, but Sheed is an even better post-defender. I haven't seen him on Bynum but he's proven his post defense against D Howard and Gasol.

 

Odd thing is that last game, defense was still the game on both sides even without Perkins. You'd think it was a combination of Laker offense and defense with how much of a blowout it was, but Lakers only scored 1.05 ppp. In reality, it was the combination of Lakers' defense with the lack of Celtic effort on offense that dug the Lakers out of a hole. I thought their offense would be much better with Perkins out, but they never were able to adjust properly or even pick up intensity.

 

I doubt Boston will repeat a poor offense performance in game 7 and so I think next game we'll see a closer and relatively higher scoring game. Hopefully Lakers come up on top.